Camping

Usually, when we went hiking, we were also camping.  Through the years, father bought some very nice tents and we really got our money back out of them!  During the time in Oregon we camped often along the coast  - particularly in fall when the storms could bring Japanese floats to shore, in the California redwoods, Crater Lake, the woods around Mt. Hood and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation!  And often mother's mother and step-father would come with us and camp as well.  It was good times for this little camper when my grandparents were there!

These were times of much fun for me - father and I got along hiking and I would try and help father set up camp or tear down.  But, father unfortunately was a perfectionist, and perfectionists are not pleasant people to be around!  Especially when you are camping and it is supposed to be an enjoyable time!

Yeah, well, you can only try for so long - even a kid will eventually learn to give up when abused enough.  I rapidly learned to do as little around camp as I could and to avoid him as much as was possible at all times.  I took to fishing.

Apparently, he never even noticed.